


An Unexpected Respite

by afteriwake



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:13:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1706027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the course of business being conducted on a tropical island Mycroft and Anthea get the chance to spend the day away from work and they decide to spend time on the beach. But in the course of their conversation Mycroft fears that things are going to be irrevocably changed between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unexpected Respite

**Author's Note:**

> And further proof I don't always write Sherlock/Molly! I don't write this ship often, but I do wholeheartedly ship it. Three prompt answers: one from my Both Shows bingo card at **land_deduction** ("Mycroft"), one from **imagineyourotp** ("Imagine your OTP going to the beach and person A changes while person B guards the changing stall and gets caught trying to sneak a peek") and then another prompt that I had left at **sherlockmas** last summer ("Mycroft/Anthea; trip to someplace warm for work, which becomes less about work and more about getting Mycroft on the beach").

He was married to his work. Or at least that was what everyone assumed. It was true he spent quite a bit of time working, doing everything he could for Queen and country, but he did have a life outside of his work. He just kept it very close to the vest. Even his brother, whose deductive skills were nearly on par with his own, had never guessed. And that was the way he preferred it. Sherlock didn't need to know every detail of his life. That privilege was reserved for one person in the entire world. He could trust her implicitly. She had proven it time and time again. He knew people had tried to bribe her, buy her. A few had threatened her and more than that had tried to poach her away from him. But Andrea, better known to the world as his assistant Anthea, had rebuffed every person every time. Except once. The favor she did for Irene Adler had been small, but she had not quite realized what it would cost when she had done it. Of course, they all should have anticipated Sherlock would try and dazzle someone with his towering intellect, because it didn't matter who it was, that was just what he did. But he didn't mind the small hiccup when overwhelmingly she had chosen him over all else.

While they were in England their relationship existed behind closed doors, in secret. It wasn't as though they didn't get ample time together, but it was all planned around duties and meetings and all the day to day things he needed to do to ensure the country still ran smoothly. It was planned around everything he had to do to keep his brother in line, make sure he was safe and not slipping back into old or worse habits. And perhaps he had done more of the former than the later, he had realized after Sherlock had murdered Magnussen. But that was the consequence of having what amounted to two full time posts.

It was almost with relief when Andrea told him his presence was needed in Jamaica for a conference. It wasn't very often that they left England, but when they were able to they could be just a bit more open about things. And even he needed a vacation at times. She had even made it a point to schedule them an extra two days so that he could actually relax away from the headaches and hassles and all of it. They attended the meetings and spirited discussion the first two days, but on the third day nearly everyone contracted food poisoning from tainted seafood. Considering both he and Andrea had chosen to eat other fare that evening they were the only two not staying within ten feet of a loo.

That morning she presented him with a choice: stay in bed all day and lounge around their suite, only leaving when absolutely necessary, or go to the beach and enjoy themselves and do the things tourists usually did. He was perfectly happy with either option, and just because they did one today didn't mean they couldn't do the other one when the meetings were all over and the other officials had gone home. However, he had opted for the beach today because it would be rather nice to rub the fact that he was well and they weren't in the other officials’ faces. He didn't really get on well with any of them.

Andrea had a swimming costume of her own but he did not have anything. A quick purchase at a store had been in order, and they went to the beach closest to their room. She directed him to a changing stall and waited outside as he began to undress. After a moment he saw the curtain pull back slightly. “Andrea,” he said quietly.

“I'm not allowed to peek?” she asked, opening it up slightly more. “I've seen you in far less clothing before, Mycroft.”

“Public decorum,” he said. “Just in case we are unlucky and someone else had the same idea we did.”

She sighed. “All right,” she said, closing the curtain. He continued to change, and after a moment he opened the curtain himself and stepped outside. She gave him an appreciative glance and a smile. “I think if anyone who knew you back home saw you they would die of shock.”

“Which is why they won't,” he said pointedly.

“Did you honestly think I would attempt to take pictures when something like blackmail exists?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as they made their way closer to the ocean.

“No, I know you wouldn't.” He looked out at the ocean. It was a very different shade of blue than what it was used to seeing. It was like a jewel, rich and vibrant and beautiful. He doubted he would get in the water, but if Andrea wanted him to he probably would. For once, he could afford to indulge her a bit. They walked a little further and then found the chairs to lounge on. She laid her towel on the chair and then reached for the hem of her sundress, pulling it up over her head. He took a moment to stare appreciatively. He, too, had seen her in far less clothing, but for a moment he could ogle her. “Is that new?” he asked.

She nodded. “I bought it the first day we were here because the elastic in my other one had broken and I didn't realize it. I think it's quite fetching.”

“I do as well.” He laid his own towel down and then they both sat on the chairs. She pulled a pair of sunglasses from the bag she had brought with her and handed them to him. He looked at them for a moment, and then slipped them on. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“You're welcome,” she said before pulling out a second pair. “I'm glad the conference is being held here. I think it's high time we took some time away, even if it is for business. It was an eventful year last year.”

“Yes, it was,” he said. “And as usual, my brother was the cause of it all.”

“You're his self-appointed keeper,” she pointed out. “One day you could just let him get into trouble for the stunts he pulls, teach him that he can't always rely on you.”

“You saw how well that turned out with the other one,” he said quietly.

She sighed. “Yes, I know. I'm sorry.”

“It's all right. Perhaps one day I might, if he angers me too much, or I don't have a potential need of him.”

“But I doubt that day will come soon.”

“I doubt so as well.” He looked over at her. “Perhaps we can talk about something else. Anything that doesn't involve the government, my post or my family.”

“That doesn't leave very much that we can speak freely about that won't bore you to tears,” she said with an amused smile.

“We can pretend to be normal people for a time,” he said.

“Even if normal people are boring?”

“Even so.”

“We could talk about that, about what it would be like to actually be a normal person,” she said thoughtfully.

“Can we even imagine what it would be like to be normal? To have lives that aren’t important?” he asked.

“I can. I mean, if you were happy, if you were content, it would be an important life.”

He looked over at her. He had never really thought to ask her how she felt about things. It wasn’t that he didn’t care. It was just that he never thought of it all that much. He was content, and he assumed she was content, but they never actually talked about it. They never talked about what they wanted out of their relationship or where they wanted it to go in the future. Part of him was worried she might want more than he was willing to give and he would lose her. “Are you happy, Andrea?” he finally asked.

“As much as I can be,” she said with a nod, not looking at him. “I’m content, at the very least.”

“I feel the same way,” he said quietly. “But do you want more?”

“That won’t happen, and in all honesty it would just make me a bigger target for your enemies. It’s best if we keep things exactly as they are.”

“But is it what you want?” he asked, sitting up more.

She was quiet for a long moment. “I would like more. But the reasons why it wouldn’t work far outweigh the benefits. Let’s just keep things as they are, all right? It’s easier that way, and it’s safer, and…” She trailed off.

“And it won’t hurt as much is if it ends,” he finished for her.

“Yes,” she said quietly. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Then she looked over at him, pulling off her sunglasses. “Let’s get in the water, Mycroft. I expect it’s quite warm here.”

“All right,” he said with a nod. He watched her get out of the chair and stand up, and he followed suit. There were reasons they didn’t have conversations like this, he thought to himself as he followed her to the water. There were reasons he kept the thoughts in his head to himself. Now that he knew she wanted more he would think about it. He wasn’t sure if it would ruin what they had, the knowledge that she wanted more. Perhaps he would be willing to give it to her, perhaps not, but now it was in the air between them. Now it would be a wedge in their relationship, and only time would tell if it could be fixed or if it would completely drive them apart.


End file.
